Build a Coldframe at the Plant Sale

Angela Graney, a northeast Minneapolis mom who spent the last year making her yard into an organic urban farm, will be at the Garden Fair sharing information on urban chickens, building outdoor ovens, and more. (See the article on page 38 of the catalog.)

One skill she'll be sharing is how to build a coldframe. Essentially a miniature unheated greenhouse, coldframes have long been used to keep seedling plants warm and happy in the early spring, or to extend the season for frost-tender plants in the fall. All of those plants we sell at the Plant Sale that have the cold-sensitive symbol after them (like tomatoes and basil) would love it if you had a cold frame for them to live in during May.

Angela’s Hotbed Coldframes are nice looking and, even better, they’re made to be moved by an average person instead of a construction crew.

Build your own coldframe workshop

The easiest way to get started is to take Angela’s build-your-own coldframe workshop (Friday or Saturday, 1:00–3:00 p.m. during the Plant Sale).

The cost for the workshop is $26. All materials will be provided for you to make a cold frame to take home.

Depending on the window size, your cold­frame will provide 2–3 square feet of space, and you’ll go home with plans so you can build more if you want to.

Please sign up and pay ahead of time, so we know how much building material to have ready.